Man nets 54 years in prison for burglarizing the elderly

CHAMBERSBURG - Two and a half years after the string of burglaries that left 15 of Franklin County's elderly victimized by one man, the West Virginia man was sentenced to more than 50 years in state prison for the crimes.

Terry Wayne Siford, 40, from Martinsburg, West Virginia, will do state prison time for each residence that he burglarized in the fall and winter of 2013 and 2014. In all, he will do a minimum of 54. 75 years and a maximum of 115.5 years in state prison.

Siford is yet to be prosecuted on thefts and burglaries in Maryland and Virginia.

Though none of the victims wanted to speak in court, Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Ricky Lewis talked about what victims told him during the investigation.

Lewis told the court, one woman has dreams that the investigating trooper comes to her, returning her husband's wedding rings to her that they believe Siford stole. The rings have not been recovered in real life.

Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Laura Kerstetter told the court that each one of the victims shared terror and loss of security in their own homes because of Siford. Lewis said many of them spent "considerable money" upgrading the security in their homes, with one woman moving out of her home of 30 years because she was too terrified to stay.

Siford's attorney Brian Williams argued that Siford is young, at 40, and could still be rehabilitated should the judge give him a lesser sentence than the recommendations provided by the probation department and the prosecutors, both more than 40 years.

In explaining the sentence, Franklin County Judge Angela Krom told Siford that she considered things like the loss of security, privacy and comfort that Siford's actions had on his victims.

She said the items taken "just can't be replaced. They're things you don't just run out and buy another one."

Instead, they were keepsakes, treasures, that now these families are missing.

Krom also cited Trooper Aaron Martin's opinion on the case, of which he was the lead investigator. In it, Martin said he believed that Siford targeted the elderly because Siford believed they would not be available, either through infirmity or lack of determination, to see the case through the court process.

She also noted Siford's criminal history, that dates back to theft charges in 1993, and a pattern of opiate and alcohol abuse.

In addition to the jail time, Siford will be required to pay a $50 fine for each person, plus an additional $15,134.25 restitution.